


Iron

by dreaming_baka



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-03-29 10:31:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13925298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreaming_baka/pseuds/dreaming_baka
Summary: That was all this house ever smelled like.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something that came to mind. I'm trying to find my style.

Iron.

That was all this house ever smelled like.

There was no time to clean. Even if there was, the smell had been so ingrained into the floors, the furniture, the sheets -there was no escape. Just like their inevitable fall.

Even so, they try.

Tolys let out a small sigh as he gently cleaned Natalia's (his lover's, _oh if only_ ) wounds. He thought that he would be more accustomed to the smell of blood by now and not even notice it. It still permeated throughout the air, hanging around so heavy you could taste it.

A wince from underneath his fingers fully bought his attention back to his- _companion_. She was sitting in front of him, her back slightly hunched over, with large gashes and bruises patterned all over her once unblemished skin. With all the fighting they were doing, there wasn't any part of their body that wasn't affected. And there certainly wasn't a day that had gone by without repeating this routine.

"Does it hurt?" he asked softly but his voice still sounded rough as it cut through the silence.

She shook her head slightly before clutching the blanket that was covering her chest a little closer.

He continued his work without another word.

They were both sitting on the living room floor with bandages, gauzes, cotton balls sprawled all over; some soaked with fresh blood and some already dry. Blankets measly covered the floor in an attempt to contain the mess they kept creating.  
  
Tolys had always admired how beautiful Natalia was no matter how she looked. Right now, she was far from her usual elegance but she was still lovely in his eyes. However, given the situation they were in, he didn't even have the mindset to acknowledge her beauty.

If this was just any other day, if it was just simply any other normal day -not that this close proximity was _normal_ \- he wouldn't have been able to stay sane (was he even sane now?). Tolys would have noticed how good her hair smelled. How lovely its shine was under the lights. How her flawless skin seemed to glow. He wouldn't have been able to look away from the gentle curve of her neck to the deep curve of her lower back. He would have had a difficult time of preventing his hands from sliding onto her thin waist.  
  
Yes, if it was any other day, such thoughts would have surely invaded his mind. But it wasn't, and all he could focus on was hoping that she'd feel better after the fresh bandages were applied.  
  
Nonetheless, he could have never imagined that they would be this... _intimate_ (as if it can even be called as such). The daydreams he had of how they would eventually become close again were all but shattered. He'd always imagined living with her under the same roof once again... but not in this way. Not in a way in which they had no choice.

When he was finally satisfied with cleaning (it was never finished), he turned to grab some clean bandages to use. Slowly and carefully, he began to wrap them around the unmoving woman. He was starting to think she had gotten used to being so still as to not to disturb her wounds. As he continued his work, he let his eyes trail down her spine and then up again. She had become so thin.

Finally, Natalia had begun to shift. For a moment she looked as if she was going to fall forward, causing the Lithuanian man to panic in an attempt to catch her. She immediately steadied herself out of reaction, resuming the same sitting position. Tolys watched tentatively as she started swaying backwards, his free arm hovering around her, unsure of whether she wanted more help than necessary.

He didn't need to make the decision though, as she limply fell against him. He winced at the sudden contact with his wounds but didn't dwell on it as he was more worried about her.

"Natalia?" he shook her shoulder lightly, fear starting to rise in his throat. "Natalia!"

It felt like everything froze in that moment on waiting for her to respond. Her head shifted with the disturbance before nudging closer into his chest, which increased the burning pain, but he didn't care. He noticed that the blanket she was holding was rising and falling slowly, realizing that she had fallen asleep. At this, he let out a breath that he was holding.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed since he started to tend to her wounds, but it must've taken long enough for her to pass out while sitting. He knew he was slow due to his own tiredness among other things, but he still blamed himself for not realizing it earlier. He continued to wrap the rest of the bandages as well as he could with the girl leaning on him. Thankfully only her upper body was against his, so he could still somewhat maneuver around her. It wasn't the best, but it will do (they needed to be changed soon enough).

As he repeated the circular motion of wrapping, he lightly brushed her side although he was trying to avoid doing so. It was then that he realized just how cold she had become. Even so, she didn't say one word about it. He silently reprimanded himself.  
  
At last, he tied the gauze together. He finally took a long look at the sleeping girl. Her expression was quite peaceful, in contrast to everything around them. He couldn't help but let himself smile at that. He brushed her strands of platinum away from her face carefully, even though no amount of movement was enough to wake her at this point. Her hand, which had held the blanket, was starting to loosen, revealing more cleavage than she probably would have wanted for him to see. He quickly caught the ends of it, careful not to look as he pulled it over her arm and then up the shoulder. He wrapped it behind her, making sure it won't shift so easily. Tolys sighed, finally giving in to his desire and began to stroke her face tenderly. He looked at her with longing, holding the simple hope that she will return his feelings.

They were so close, yet so far apart. He didn't know pain like this until now.

His body was beginning to feel numb from supporting all her weight, and begrudgingly he shifted her exhausted form onto his arm in order to lay her down. He held her head with one hand and her waist with the other, careful not to wake the sleeping beauty. He grimaced as his muscles stretched his now fairly fresh wounds. After settling her on the blanketed floor, he moved aside the bloodied cotton balls and medical supplies that were scattered around them.  
  
Sitting back, he tried to relax, but it was to no avail with his body aching all over. Again, he tried to focus on Natalia instead of his pain. He covered her with another blanket before lying down himself. He was facing her back, watching her side rise and fall with every breath. Even through all this pain, he felt that the night was too short.

Sleep immediately started to claim him as soon as he relaxed. He only wished he wasn't so tired so that he could drink in her image more fully. He took one more look at her back before letting his eyelids fall heavily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think it's pretty obvious what this is based on. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Natalia woke with a start. She rapidly blinked a few times, staring right into the unknown. As the darkness stared back at her, panic started to rise in her chest. She struggled to sit up but the attempt was cut short as pain shot through her body. She gasped, the action itself was strenuous.

Fear gripped her -as irrational as it was, she knew (she just didn't know _why_ it was happening). She couldn't recall where she was and what she was doing before everything turned black. Fear kept her from thinking clearly and she desperately tried to repress the scream that was rising in her throat.

It was a wonder that she even heard through the pounding in her ears. (Was it a sound at all?) Finally, her eyes recognized the room in the darkness. Her gaze trailed along the peeling walls to the minimal furniture before settling upon the messy floor. She felt a presence behind her. She rolled over to her back slowly, making sure to not upset her wounds as much as possible. However careful she was, it was still highly uncomfortable as she lay on her back.  
  
She listened carefully to his quiet breathing, long and drawn out.  
  
She was home. She was safe.  
  
(For now).  
  
She let out her own breath, akin to a gasp. Placing her hand on her chest she attempted to regulate her breathing (it was all in her head). Despite being covered with two layers, she still felt cold, and now she realized why. The thin gauzes couldn't contain any warmth.  
  
She sat up again, taking her time to adjust her position. Finally, she took a look at the man sleeping beside her, immediately furrowing her brow at the scene. Not only did he not clean his wounds, he didn't even bother to cover himself with a blanket. Granted, she was suppose to help him after he had finished bandaging her wounds, but surely he could've taken better care of himself...  
  
She reached over and lightly touched his shoulder. He was as cold as ice. She still could not get used to this. From her earliest memories of him, he was anything but. Even in her brother's house (especially in her brother's house), the warmth he radiated annoyed her to no end.  
  
A shiver ran down her spine, the cold spreading through her shoulders and down her arms. The house only shielded them from the winds and not much else. She stood up gingerly, her sole motivation coupled with the urgency to warm up.  
  
Wrapping one blanket around her while discarding the other, she tiptoed into the kitchen (the cold floors forced her to do so). Grabbing a bucket she then opened the back door. The cold air greeted her immediately, causing her breath to form into a mist. There were still some untouched snow in the yard, thankfully (who knew). She slipped on her old slippers lithely and crossed the yard, the dead grass and dirty snow crunching beneath her feet.  
  
As she knelt down to collect the snow, the door closed with a squeaky bang. It wasn't her intention, but what's done is done. It was better that he woke anyhow- he could help her heat up the soon-to-be water.  
  
There were no footsteps to be heard however. No sound of the door opening. Was he _that_ tired? She sighed, noting the redness of her palms.

The night air was strangely quiet, except for the winter sounds that rustled through occasionally. Gathering as quickly as she could, she rushed back inside the house for its mediocre protection.  
  
She wasted no time in setting up. She began to create a spark in the fireplace, but it took quite a few tries before there was even some light. Her fingers were numb and her shaking form was not helping. Natalia cursed under her breath, and as if it were a spell the spark finally spread out onto the remaining bark. Soon enough the half burnt wood started to pop and crack.  
  
She continued to prepare the rest of the materials she needed. She hadn't been particularly quiet all this time, but still the daft man did not wake up. If it weren't for the fact that she could still see his sides moving up and down ever so slightly, she'd think he were dead. With an indignant huff (coupled with immediate regret at the pain) she finally sat down in front of the now active fireplace. She tried to gather as much warmth from it as she could, tightly gripping the thin blanket around her shoulders.  
  
With nothing to do, she stared into the flickering flames. It was strange how this force of nature could bring so much comfort in these times yet also bring death and destruction in others. The burning buildings and fearful screams were all too real. The silence around her was deafening as the fire seemed to draw her in. The smoke made it difficult to breathe, and she gasped once more.  
  
No, no, _no_!  
  
This was not like her. She knew she was stronger than this (or was she?). She won't let this consume her. Her gaze turned to the cold floor as she gathered her bearings.  
  
The light and shadows created by the flickering flames danced on the floor. Her fatigue was starting to catch up to her as soon as she tried to relax. She cursed; waiting for the Lithuanian wasn't going to work. (Why did she even wait in the first place?) She discarded the remaining blanket on the floor before crawling over to where the man was still sleeping.  
  
Since she couldn't have him lying around half dead, she decided it was best to clean his wounds now. The girl hovered above him for a moment in order to inspect the work she would be doing. His wounds looked worse than she remembered, but it could be due to it not being clean. His body told the story of the last few years only too well. As she studied the man, her eyes eventually travelled to his face. Eyes sunken in from exhaustion (but still, those _deep_ , green orbs). Pale skin wrapped around cheekbones sharply. The expression he wore wasn't particularly peaceful, but with the way he slept, he still gave off the feeling that he had a sense of security. Finally her gaze fell to his lips. They were starting to blue. It wasn't her intention, but she studied his face longer than she would have expected.  
  
Finally, she parted her lips, "Get up."  
  
Nothing. Only the iron met with her tongue.  
  
"Get up."  
  
She placed her hand on his shoulder to shake.  
  
"Tolys, get up this instant."  
  
Her partner -yes, it was simply an unwanted partnership- stirred, eyelids slowly trying to adjust to the light cast from the fireplace. Natalia scoffed; he probably started to stir at the sound of his name.  
  
She was too tired to reprimand him. (No, why should she even do that?)  
  
No longer willing to simply wait, she tried to make the man get up as quickly as possible. She tugged him by his arms as he gingerly sat up from the messy heap around them. He winced at that action, but said nothing.  
  
Tolys had finally awoke, but he was still disoriented and simply stared at the floor. Natalia, on the other hand, was also at an impasse. She still wasn't sure _how_ to start. She stared at him staring at the floor. As the moments passed the silence grew louder.  
  
Finally, he looked up, "Natalia...?"  
  
The sound of his- the sound of _her name_ snapped her out of her daze. She immediately frowned, not completely understanding her state of mind. It must be the weariness taking its toll.  
  
She did not answer him. Instead, she turned towards the materials she had previously prepared. She dragged the bucket of warmed water over. Picking up the cleanest cloth they had, she tested the temperature. It was somehow just right.  
  
She filled some water with a small cup, then poured it over where his wounds were. Most of them had already dried and clung to his clothes. Natalia sighed; it will take some time to remove the shirt. Then again, not that it made much difference, since she could only move so fast with wounds of her own. The warm water felt good on her hands, but only for a brief moment as it cooled. (She knew it must've felt even icier for him then).  
  
Silence filled the room once again, save for Natalia's movements.

Though she concentrated on her work, she knew only too well that he was watching her intently. At first he tried to be discreet about it. After she made sure he'd knew that she'd caught him staring, he stopped trying to to hide it. Natalia didn't know what she was hoping for. He was always like this. (Pretending to be in her best interest, but in the end it was for himself).

She felt his muscles tense under her touch, thus realizing she must've peeled back the cloth too fast. She furrowed her brows once again. It _was_ partially his fault for not removing it beforehand.

She continued peeling back the shirt, trying to be done with it as soon as possible. In doing so, it inevitably reopened some wounds.

(Once again, the smell of iron).

Tolys winced throughout the process but there wasn't a word of complaint. Natalia changed positions then; sitting behind him before she started to dab the wounds on his back with the cloth. She rinsed the cloth in the water, in a feeble attempt to bleed out the iron, before repeating the previous action.

" _Thank you_ ," he whispered into the air unconsciously using his native tongue, which she understood nonetheless, much to her dismay.

The silence of the night hung heavily in contrast to the ongoing destruction.

When she finished, the fire had already died. They were aware that they would have to start the new day soon. Yet another cycle.

She put the cloth into the bucket and rinsed it once more. The dark liquid had turned cold. She dropped the cloth back into the bucket.

The Lithuanian man finally coughed. Natalia knew he was holding it in because of the inevitable pain that would follow. She turned away from him then, to retrieve what was left of the gauze. She wiped her hands on her own clothes before grabbing it.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness once again, and the minimal light from the windows were enough to work with. Since the fire had disappeared, the cold started to return (it wasn't even warm in the first place). As she wrapped the gauze around, she felt that at least he wasn't as icy as before.

When she finally tied the ends together, they were both exhausted. Natalia took another look at his face. Normally, he would spare a few more glances at her, but even _he_ was too spent to do so. She touched his cheek then, feeling the familiar rough and sharp edges. This alerted him somewhat, and he looked up at her. He forced a smile, despite himself.  
  
"It'll be morning soon," (he'd switched back to her tongue).

They haven't said goodnight to each other.

He removed his green orbs from her blue ones and lay down to gather as much sleep as he could. She watched his side rise and fall once more.

Natalia dragged the blankets over and lay next to her partner. She covered the both of them as well as she could before settling in, burrowing her face into his chest.

It was cold, she told herself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do I get style points
> 
> I tried to write angst and I still ended up with fluff. I'm amazed at my own talent. As you guys could probably tell, this was only suppose to be a one shot, but I ended up writing another chapter in Natalia's POV. That was (probably) a mistake. She's too complex of a character for me to write properly. ~~Not that Toris is simple but like you know~~ This is exactly why I avoid writing in her perspective /laughs
> 
> I couldn't quite reread the previous chapter since it was so cringy ~~LMAO Toris why you gotta be so creepy.~~


End file.
